


Friendship Starts With Fear

by metaphoricallylivin



Series: Earth 25: Oh, Yeah I'm An Ugly Mess [7]
Category: DCU
Genre: F Is For Friends Who Fight Crime Together, Gen, fear toxin
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-12
Updated: 2017-06-12
Packaged: 2018-11-13 01:42:20
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,033
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11174391
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/metaphoricallylivin/pseuds/metaphoricallylivin
Summary: Toby and Duke become friends, unsurprisingly, on a case. Duke had been at Gotham Academy for a few week, but Toby and him had never interacted for more than a few seconds. Toby’s mix of advanced and remedial classes made it hard to make friends with an inconsistent schedule. Duke shared his science class, but other than that they didn't interact.Or the best way to friendship is kicking ass together.





	Friendship Starts With Fear

**Author's Note:**

> TW for panic attack induced by fear toxin?

Toby and Duke become friends, unsurprisingly, on a case. Duke had been at Gotham Academy for a few week, but Toby and him had never interacted for more than a few seconds. Toby’s mix of advanced and remedial classes made it hard to make friends with an inconsistent schedule. Duke shared his science class, but other than that they didn't interact.

 

The case was about a fighting ring downtown, one that had been kidnapping kids and forcing them to fight, leaving the kids bloodied and half dead. Both of them had independently come across the ring and decided to investigate. They had needed to team up to take everything down because they kept getting in each other's way. Coordination was the best way to do it.

 

Everything was going according to plan until they found out that Fear Toxin was being used to make the fights better. Toby and Duke came crashing in after they had gone undercover, managing to get the kids all out before they came into contact with anything bad. Two men came in armed with fear gas. Duke did a flip and landed on top of one of the men, him falling to the floor. 

 

The other man headed straight for Toby, managing to hit Toby part of the syringe. It was straight into his face and the man pushed down well enough to get half of the toxin in. Toby’s reaction wasn't immediate, it came after he'd disarmed the man and planted a foot firmly on his back.

 

“You okay, Cardinal?” Duke asked. He was swaying slightly and didn't look well.

 

“Um, yes, no. Take me home,” Toby said. He was dazed and moving awkwardly, like existing was unusual for him.

 

“Where is home?” Duke asked.

 

“I, I don't know. Call Oracle. Why can't I remember home?” Toby asked. He swallowed hard and then a strangled sob came out. Toby tugged on his hair.

 

Duke wasn't quite sure what Toby was seeing so Duke tried to lead him out. He didn't budge, sobbing slightly.

 

“Okay, we're staying here,” Duke deadpanned, taking a protective stance. If someone was going near Toby they would have to go through him.

 

Toby was rocking back and forth, he had his arms behind his head, anxiety running through every part of his body. Duke had never been under the influence of Fear Toxin, but he didn't think it was a good experience. From what he'd heard they saw their worst fears, worst memories, that it was soul crushing and terrifying. Dick had said that it was something he wouldn't wish on his worst enemy.

 

Duke had read Cardinal’s file, he had been adopted by Jason Todd. Jason Todd, the Red Hood, and had been trained to lethality. Still he'd seen a video of the boy playing with a kitten to be surprised by the gentleness he had. Duke couldn’t imagine what Toby was seeing, but by the way he kept saying no, almost a prayer or maybe a beg, it probably wasn't good.

 

After a few minutes Red Hood and Batwing arrived. He watched the way that they looked at Cardinal, they were his parents, he could tell that. The way Batwing smoothed his hair back reminded him of his mom and his heart panged. He missed his parents so much that sometimes he would forget them for a moment, it made it easier, and then he would be reminded and it came crashing back. His parents were as good as dead.

 

Duke watched the way Red Hood and Batwing attempted to calm Cardinal down, the way Toby sobbed and looked panicked. He knew so many people wouldn't stick with someone like that, one who was currently more akin to a scared child than a hero right now, still they did. Eventually Red Hood hauled Toby over his shoulder and carried him out, Toby screamed and kicked and hit Jason over and over again. Still Red Hood didn’t waver.

 

“Thank you. We're going to take Cardinal home and get some antidote in him,” Batwing said, placing a comforting hand on Duke’s shoulder before leaving.

 

“Tell him I said I hope he feels better! Give him my number,” Duke yelled, it felt right. Something was giving him the vague feeling that he wasn't done with Cardinal and his weird family.

 

* * *

 

 

Duke didn't see Toby in class until two days later. He seemed almost half asleep, but it wasn't unusual for Toby to be sleeping through class. It was chemistry and Duke was pretty sure Toby didn't feel the need to pay attention, ever. When tests came around he always finished first and at the top of the class scores despite the fact that he had time and a half for tests. 

 

One of the things that Duke noticed was that Toby and Cass floated around each other, he knew they were best friends and outside of classes rarely seen without the other. During lunch he caught up with them, sitting down at their table. He knew Cass from patrols, he'd seen her at Wayne Manor once, hanging out with Alfred. No one ever sat with them, having been labeled the weird, stupid kids from the first day of school.

 

“What are you two up to?” Duke asked.

 

“Eating,” Cass said, she was munching on an uncrustable sandwich, her tablet placed down next to her.

 

“Um, are you okay?” Duke asked, turning towards Toby.

 

Toby made a choked noise and nodded. He had falafel set out below him along with carrot sticks, a juice box, and goldfish. Duke watched as his face molded into something different.

 

“I'm fine. It was just some fear toxin, no harm,” Toby said.

 

“You were screaming,” Duke said, quietly and solemnly.

 

“You've never been dosed up with Fear Toxin? It happens, we're in Gotham after all,” Toby said.

 

Duke laughed, Toby was pretty funny when it came down to it. He'd lived in Gotham his whole life and when it came to coping you needed to laugh and tell jokes about how terrible it was, otherwise you'd go insane. He'd noticed as Cardinal Toby was chatty and He figured that this was the start of a new and beautiful friendship.

**Author's Note:**

> Please comment... I'm a starving artist.


End file.
